Thanks TZ2, and sorry for the long delay in answering, I have been away for a while...

I don't remember exactly what shutter speeds I used for these shots, but I know I went for something around 1500th of a second to make sure. It was a sunny day, so there was no need to compromise.

The VR is really effective at 200mm. You can see the image stabilising as you half-press the shutter, and there's a marked difference. Is it worth the AUD$1000 price difference with the cheaper, non-VR Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8? That's a harder question...